(Summary of Review at end) Originally as what (i believed) was supposed to be a medical version of Burn Notice, Royal Pains developed into something much different. It lasted much longer than most would have guessed. Make no mistake, the show is consistently high quality and appeals to a wide arrange of viewers.
I'll start off with the bad parts: RP rarely steps out and takes large leaps. It struggles to hit high points and take on really emotional or dramatic ideas. Cheesy, overused scenarios and dialogue occurs frequently. The show lets go/resolves it's strongest plot changes early on and can become dry. Royal Pains fills its cast up with strong recurring characters, but decides to throw them into the wayside too early, and dedicates too much to it's secondary main characters lives (Examples: Jill becomes borderline annoying in the early seasons, and Divya's dry backstory and predictable future occupies 1/3-1/2 of the story for most of the show after season 3).
Some of the things that I believe that they could have definitely pulled off for longer and improved the show with (MILD SPOILER WARNING): Making Boris' disease more of the main plot and having Hank deal with that aside from his daily work, making the antagonists last throughout the series to spice up the plot (aka Hank's concierge competition), and having recurring characters from past seasons be more involved with the end.
Even though it seems as if I just put the show on blast, these things do not destroy the show or even really hurt it much at all. They just end up limiting the potential of what was a very good initial plot/pitch.
Before you give up on me, let me touch on the good parts of this show. Ultimately, the thing about this show is that it is a complete optimistic and joyous experience. It is not only entertaining, but will leave you smiling often and looking forward to enjoy the next lighthearted experience that the characters bring ever episode. Mark Feuerstein (Hank) and Paulo Castanzo (Evan) are incredible throughout the entirety of the series. The characters grow immensely. They are charming and actually feel like family, creating a more homey experience for the viewer. The additions of Henry Wrinkler (Eddie Lawson) was somewhat predictable, but overall brightens up the show a lot more. Other main characters like Dr. Scani, Paige, Boris, and Raj were all very positive points to the show. Recurring characters like Tucker, Keller, and Newberg are also very important in creating the optimism that makes this show what it is. The show's ending, although very predictable, is very satisfying and Disney-like, leaving it's viewers (including myself) happy. Medical scenarios, terminology, procedures, etc. are all very well done (not on the same league as many other med dramas, but nonetheless solidly true). Hank actually really feels and acts like a legitimate, likable physician as well.
RP would have much been much better off keeping it's season 1 formula (Burn Notice-esque) with a new case every episode with Boris' disease being the main plot, slowly worked on throughout each episode, but ended up with a different tone that is still very satisfying.
SUMMARY: Royal Pains is a light, positive, and consistently high quality production that will leave you happy and entertained. It's dry plot, missed opportunities, and lack of emotional/dramatic scenarios is what holds it back from being a top notch show. Mark Feuerstein (Hank Lawson) excels every single episode and is largely responsible for the success of this show. Undoubtedly a worthy watch.
I'll start off with the bad parts: RP rarely steps out and takes large leaps. It struggles to hit high points and take on really emotional or dramatic ideas. Cheesy, overused scenarios and dialogue occurs frequently. The show lets go/resolves it's strongest plot changes early on and can become dry. Royal Pains fills its cast up with strong recurring characters, but decides to throw them into the wayside too early, and dedicates too much to it's secondary main characters lives (Examples: Jill becomes borderline annoying in the early seasons, and Divya's dry backstory and predictable future occupies 1/3-1/2 of the story for most of the show after season 3).
Some of the things that I believe that they could have definitely pulled off for longer and improved the show with (MILD SPOILER WARNING): Making Boris' disease more of the main plot and having Hank deal with that aside from his daily work, making the antagonists last throughout the series to spice up the plot (aka Hank's concierge competition), and having recurring characters from past seasons be more involved with the end.
Even though it seems as if I just put the show on blast, these things do not destroy the show or even really hurt it much at all. They just end up limiting the potential of what was a very good initial plot/pitch.
Before you give up on me, let me touch on the good parts of this show. Ultimately, the thing about this show is that it is a complete optimistic and joyous experience. It is not only entertaining, but will leave you smiling often and looking forward to enjoy the next lighthearted experience that the characters bring ever episode. Mark Feuerstein (Hank) and Paulo Castanzo (Evan) are incredible throughout the entirety of the series. The characters grow immensely. They are charming and actually feel like family, creating a more homey experience for the viewer. The additions of Henry Wrinkler (Eddie Lawson) was somewhat predictable, but overall brightens up the show a lot more. Other main characters like Dr. Scani, Paige, Boris, and Raj were all very positive points to the show. Recurring characters like Tucker, Keller, and Newberg are also very important in creating the optimism that makes this show what it is. The show's ending, although very predictable, is very satisfying and Disney-like, leaving it's viewers (including myself) happy. Medical scenarios, terminology, procedures, etc. are all very well done (not on the same league as many other med dramas, but nonetheless solidly true). Hank actually really feels and acts like a legitimate, likable physician as well.
RP would have much been much better off keeping it's season 1 formula (Burn Notice-esque) with a new case every episode with Boris' disease being the main plot, slowly worked on throughout each episode, but ended up with a different tone that is still very satisfying.
SUMMARY: Royal Pains is a light, positive, and consistently high quality production that will leave you happy and entertained. It's dry plot, missed opportunities, and lack of emotional/dramatic scenarios is what holds it back from being a top notch show. Mark Feuerstein (Hank Lawson) excels every single episode and is largely responsible for the success of this show. Undoubtedly a worthy watch.